The Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments was founded in Knin in 1893. After WW II it was moved to Split and since 1976 it has been in the present building. The Museum has a rich collection of Early Medieval stone monuments and collections of weapons, tools, jewellery, coins and objects of everyday usage. Of special importance are the epigraphic monuments from the IXth to the XIIth century where we find engraved the names of Croatian kings and other eminent dignitaries.

Numerous findings from old Croatian graves offer abundant material for research of the economic, cultural and political life of the Croatian people during the Early Middle Ages. Swords, spears, knives, arrows, axes and spurs have been found in graves of warriors, all of which, according to their make, belong to the Carolingian cultural circle. The most numerous grave findings are different froms of jewellery: earings, rings, necklaces, diadems, buttons and such-like. These can be sorted into a number of types encompassing a long span of time from the VIIth to the XVth century and are, for the most part, products made in local workshops and by native masters.

Findings of gold Byzantine and other Medieval coins are also valuable. In the area around the Museum foundations of three basic types of pre-Romanesque churches from old Croatian times and a number of standing tomb-stones from the XIVth and XVth centuries are displayed recalling the appearance of a necropolis of that time.

The City Museum of Split is located in the northeastern part of Diocletian’s palace, within the complex of Medieval buildinqs at whose center is the Gothic palace of the Papalic family designed and built by the native master Juraj of Dalmatia and his stone carvers and builders circle. Beautifully executed are the courtyard with its richly decorated portal and loggia, the first floor hall with its lavish four-light, two-light and one-light windows and with the well preserved wooden ceiling. The Renaissance building with a fine window decoration completes the ensemble of the courtyard.

Inside, the permanent museum exhibition relates a segment from the history of the city, the period when Split was an autonomous city commune (XIIth-XlVth centuries).

The city statute, seal and coins and the Romanesque sculpture from the belfry of the cathedral stand out among the exhibits. Within the period of Venetian rule (XVth- XVlth centuries), a central place is given to the Marulic’s literary circle. Mention should also be made of Libro d’Oro, Gothic-Renaissance coffers. In the armoury are exhibited the weapons from the XVth to the XVIIIth centuries, used for the defence of Split.

Founded in 1820, the Archaeological Museum in Split is the oldest Museum in Croatia. It has a large stock of archaeological objects from prehistoric times, from the period of the Greek colonization of the Adriatic and from the Roman, Early Christian and early Medieval ages.

Most of the monuments come from the region of central Dalmatia, to be more and especially from Salona (Solin). Very important are collections of stone epitaphs from Salona (about 6.000 of them), of Greek Hellenistic ceramics, of Roman glass, of clay lamps, of objects made out of bone and metal, and of gems.

The Museum has a large collection of Antique and Medieval coins. The Museum also has a large library with about 30.000 books on archaeology and history as well as on Dalmatica (books, journals dealing with themes from the history of Dalmatia).

In the early years thirty of the 20th century Ivan Mestrovic lived in this house. The sculptor devised himself the building, with two low towers to the ends and a loggia with eight pillars. His pictures, among which ‘ agreement on distance ‘ and ‘ the mantels ‘ appears, inside and outside. Under the statues in marble, wood and bronze are themselves also ‘ the contemplation ‘, ‘ the oath ‘ and ‘ psyche ‘.

A part of the building is still intact as an apartment of the artist. The Castle, on no. 39, can become visited with the same tickets. This 17th century house belonged to the family Cavagnin and in 1932, by Mestrovic being bought to establish a exhibition room. He built here also a small church to expose ‘ new will ‘ a serial relief under the name, now replace by a another work, the ‘ author of the Apocalypse ‘.

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Ethnographic Museum

In the centre of town is the mildly interesting Ethnographic Museum, which has a collection of photos of old Split, traditional costumes and memorabilia of important citizens. Captions are in Croatian.

Croatian Maritime Museum in Split

Exhibits include a simple but compelling collection of model ships through the ages, ranging from Venetian galleys to twentieth-century cruise liners. Also lying around are all manner of nautical equipment, lighthouse lanterns and naval uniforms. Most striking exhibit is the room devoted to the ground-breaking torpedoes developed by the Whitehead-Lupis workshop in nineteenth-century Rijeka. To finish off, you can look around an outdoor display of beached boats while serenaded by shrieking peacocks – a colony of which roams free on the east side of the fortress.

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Gallery of fine arts

The Gallery of Fine Arts (Croatian: Galerija umjetnina), is an art museum in Split, Croatia containing works from the 14th century up to the present day providing an overview of the artistic developments in the local art scene. The gallery was founded in 1931, and has a permanent exhibition of paintings and sculptures that includes works by major Croatian artists such as Vlaho Bukovac, Mato Celestin Medović, Branislav Dešković, Ivan Meštrović, Emanuel Vidović and Ignjat Job. The gallery also has an extensive collection of icons, and holds special exhibits of works by contemporary artists.

The gallery’s permanent collection includes more than 3,500 works of art dating from the 14th century up to the present day. The holdings provide an overview of all the major art movements and trends in the local area, and include works by Croatian artists and artists from the former Yugoslavia, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, and the Czech Republic, all of whom have a connection to Split.

The gallery’s restoration department focuses on the conserving the works and preparing them for public display. The gallery also houses a large documentation archive of graphics, publications, press clippings, and photograph library.